Oneshots
by fandom.writer.2012
Summary: So these are chapters from some of my ideas that have been bouncing around in my head. They don't always follow the plot so some of them will have characters that were killed off & alternate ways that they could have survived.
1. Chapter 1

**Carl Bitten. . . Again?**

**(this is centered in the universe of the Walking Dead but I pulled some characters from Z Nation into it just to see how they'd affect the story. Takes place in season 8)**

"Carl." Michonne called as she waked over to him, "I've been looking for you. We're about to head out. What are you doing?"

"I'm helping someone." He admitted, "A traveler."

"In the sewer?" she asked having seen him placing the manhole cover back where it belonged. He took a deep breath ready to answer when there was suddenly a loud metallic clanging. Whatever it was sounded like it was hitting the main gate, once, twice, then three times.

"You may be wondering why your lookouts didn't sound the alarm." Negan's voice came over a megaphone. "See we are polite. I mean, I don't know when they're gonna wake up from that kinda shot but they should wake up. So let's just cut through the cow shit – you lose. It's over. So you're gonna line up in front of your little houses, and you're gonna work up some apologies and then the person with the lamest one is gonna get killed. Then I kill Rick in front of everybody and we move on. You have three minutes – count 'em, three minutes to open this gate, or we start bombing the shit out of you."

"They got out." Michonne whispered as Negan started whistling.

"Come on." Carl said moving the manhole cover again but she looked like she'd frozen up. "Michonne. Come on!"

"Michonne!" came another low urgent shout. They turned and saw Warren, Tara, Addy and Rosita running toward them. Warren, Addy and their group had shown up a few weeks ago. They'd been traveling and were on their last legs and needed some food and water. Warren had a group of six including herself and introduced herself as Lieutenant of the National Guard. His dad had intended on turning them away after explaining they weren't in a position to be giving out rations when they were getting ready for a war but instead she'd struck up a deal, they'd help Alexandria fight in exchange for food. Warren reminded Carl a lot of his dad, she had this leadership aura around her and she was stubborn and didn't back down easily. Knowing they needed as much help as they could get his dad had taken the deal.

"What's our play?" Warren asked but Michonne was still in shock that their plan had been foiled, in her hesitation Carl took charge.

"You need to make it look like we're escaping out the back. Get to the woods, halfway to the quarry, and cut the lights. Get enough of a lead on them, hit them and get away on foot. You know where we'll be. Just have to get the guns, get everyone else here, and we'll meet you there." Carl instructed as he loaded up supplies into a bag.

"Two minutes people!" Negan's voice shouted over the megaphone again. "Dig deep. I want these apologies to be memorable. Bonus points for creativity. Work up a poem, sing a song. I love that shit."

"Get going." Carl said. "There's going to be people in the infirmary. They're gonna need your help." Addy nodded and took off to help the injured escape.

"Look we've got guns, we can fight them." Tara said stepping forward.

"We will but not now, Carl's right." Rosita said defending his plan.

"Carl, we can't just let them have this place." Michonne all but growled.

"We can." Carl told her, "All you need to do is survive tonight. This is my show. You said it. This is my plan and you're gonna do it. You're all gonna do it."

He saw Warren with her hands on her hips nodding slightly like she approved of him taking charge. "He's right, as long as we survive we can always fight to take it all back. But if we make a stand here and die, then that's the end of everything."

He looked at her in appreciation and nodded, "So let's go!" he said leading them away. They all put his plan into action, but he needed to buy them more time before Negan got to the end of the clock. Carl ran for the platform by the gate and saw another figure already working his way up the ladder with a sniper rifle on his back.

"10K!" Carl called to him as quietly as he could. 10K was part of Warren's group and the best shot Carl had ever seen, he'd immediately liked the guy when they'd first met not just because they were both the youngest in their groups but because the guy had a sick goal. He'd nicknamed himself 10K because that was the number of walkers he wanted to kill, after hearing that Carl thought the guy was awesome, he was already on three thousand nine hundred and something and Carl was amazed he could keep track the way he did.

"Not here." he said when the sniper had climbed down the ladder, "That one." Carl pointed to the next guard's platform down the fence.

"One minute!" Negan counted, "One minute."

"I'd love to show him a thing or two about counting." 10K said through a clenched jaw as he cocked his rifle.

"I have a plan, if it doesn't work then you can start shooting." Carl told him and he nodded at him as he made his way to the next platform as Carl made his way up the ladder.

"Okey-dokey." Negan's voice echoed, "Brought this on yourself Rick. See, I was willing to work with you. All you had to do was follow a few very simple rules. But now, well now I see that you got to go. Scorched earth, you dick!"

"He's not home." Carl said standing on one of the guard's platforms.

"Oh-ho-holy shit! Everybody hold your fire, it's Carl." Negan said cheerfully. "Look at you. Answering the door like a big boy. I am so proud. Daddy's not home, huh? Well I guess he's gonna get back to a big old smoky surprise –"

"There's families in here. Kids. My little sister."

"Well that shit just breaks my heart. There's kids at the Sanctuary. You must've seen 'em. Even had a little baby at one of the outposts. I wonder what happened to her."

Negan paced along the wall looking up at Carl who met his gaze, there was a long moment of silence while they sized each other up.

"None of this shit's fair kid." Negan finally said, "Hell you know that. You had to kill your own mom. That is screwed up. Ergo, we need someone in charge who's willing to do whatever it takes to make sure that shit doesn't happen. Oh Wait. That's me."

"Bad stuff does happen." Carl said, "But we can figure this out. We can stop this."

"Oh now you want to talk? See, your dad had it that I died, no matter what. He gave my people a choice. Not me. Now we're gonna need a new understanding. Apologies, punish –"

"Kill me." He said and saw the shock cross Negan's face, even felt the shock in 10K's expression feeling the sniper staring at him too though Carl's eye was only on Negan.

"What did you say?" Negan asked softly.

"If you have to kill someone, if there has to be punishment, then kill me. I'm serious."

"You want to die?" Negan asked his voice cracking a bit, he sounded broken.

"No, I don't. But I will. It's gonna happen. And if – if me dying could stop this, if it can make things different – for us, for you, for all those other kids it'd be worth it. I mean, was this the plan? Was it supposed to be this way? Is this who you wanted to be?" he asked and Negan was silent and looked away for a second. Carl took the opportunity to glance at 10K who was looking through his scope, from where Carl stood he could see the sniper lining up his shot but from where Negan was they'd see nothing, 10K's black hair made the portion of his head above the wall blend in perfectly with the night, Carl just hoped he wouldn't have to fire that rifle.

Then there was a loud bang and Carl knew the others were making their move out the back. He quickly got down from the platform and 10K started to fire.

"Son of a bitch Carl!" he heard Negan shout when he realized he'd taken off. 10K quickly looked down at him and Carl waved him over as he got down from the platform too, "Was that just a play? I thought we were having a moment you little asshole! Bombs away!"

Carl grabbed the bag he'd left at the bottom of the ladder as 10K joined him.

"Okay, what the frack is –"

Then Negan's bombs landed and blew up causing fire to strike up everywhere, a few buildings were instantly annihilated and Alexandra was lit up in red and orange light. Carl started pulling out the smoke cans and pulling the pins dropping them by the gate. He and 10K made their way deeper into Alexandria as bombs started going off blowing up in their path making them have to backpedal and go around burning cars. Explosions kept going off and they could see the outlines of Negan's men with their guns as they moved through the smoke, 10K taking shots at them whenever he could. Two more houses blew up next to them on the street as they ran the force of the blast almost knocking them off their feet at they stumbled. They heard a crash and an engine cut off and knew Negan had driven a truck right into the place taking down a piece of the wall most likely.

Carl was slowing down as they worked their way further from Negan, 10K had slung his rifle over his shoulder and took Carl's arm over his back to help him walk. He didn't look injured but by his face the sniper knew he was in pain. They made it to a manhole cover and Carl stopped walking.

"Wait. Here." he said and 10K let go of him to move the cover and he and Carl climbed in. They could still hear the explosions in the distance as they moved through the tunnels passing others sitting on the ground until 10K found a place to sit Carl down. He looked like hell, his face sweaty and had dark circles under his eyes. A man that 10K didn't know, the traveler Carl had helped joined them and looked him over but Carl looked up at him and shook his head.

Then they heard footsteps approaching and 10K turned to see Warren with Murphy, Doc and Addy. With them was Rick, Michonne and a few more of their people. 10K stood and walked to his group who looked glad to see he was okay while Rick made his way over to Carl and crouched by him. Then Rick looked to the traveler suspiciously.

"I brought him here." Carl said, "That's how it happened."

Everyone turned to look at him as he pulled up his shirt revealing a patch of gauze, when he pulled it away they saw a bloody bite mark on his stomach. Michonne dropped to her knees by him and Rick looked broken. Then Murphy nudged his way through to look at the bite.

"I can help him." he said and Rick, Michonne and Carl turned to him confused. "My bite can help him."

Rick turned and looked down the tunnel at Warren, "Just a vitamin deficiency?" he asked referring to the reason she'd given as to why the man had blue tinted skin. Warren looked to Murphy.

"Show him." she said and Murphy began to unbutton his shirt. When he opened it they saw he had several bites on his torso and Michonne gasped as all their eyes widened.

"You're looking at the only person ever to be bitten and survive." Warren explained and by the looks on the members of her group she wasn't kidding. "We were taking him to the last CDC in California when we ran low on supplies and found your community."

Rick looked from her back to Murphy, "Will it work?"

Murphy looked him in the eye and nodded once. Rick turned back to Carl and the two shared a long stare before Carl looked to Murphy.

"Do it."


	2. Chapter 2

**Carl Bitten. . . Again? (Part 2) **

Murphy knelt down by Carl before he leaned in but Carl pulled away.

"Does it have to be on my face?" he asked since that's where the blue man had been going for.

Murphy shrugged, "It's kind of my calling card. Besides it's not like this is your good side either, no offense."

"And it will cure me?" Carl asked.

"No." Murphy admitted, "Not exactly."

"What does 'not exactly' mean?" Michonne asked her motherly instincts kicking in.

"It will make you immune from the bite." Murphy explained, "But there are. . . side effects."

"Am I going to be blue?"

"No, and before you ask, you won't exactly be human either. You'll be. . . much more than that."

"How do you know this works?" Rick intervened his voice harsh and scratchy. Murphy was quiet for a moment and when they looked at the others in his group none of them were making eye contact with anyone as they looked to the floor, walls or ceiling. Then Murphy gave a deep sigh.

"I did this once, to a girl who was in our group. She was dying and it saved her. She wasn't bit, but it cured her infection. Sort of. . . paused her body, she didn't heal but she didn't get any closer to death either."

"Why isn't she here?" Rick asked still suspicious.

Murphy turned to his group, his eyes on one in particular – 10K. The two glared at each other for a second then Murphy looked back to Rick, "She died protecting me."

"I'll live?" Carl asked bringing attention back to him.

Murphy nodded and when he leaned in again Carl didn't back away and he did his best to hold back his scream when he felt teeth dig into his skin for the second time in his life.

The explosions kept going off in the distance as Murphy got up and rejoined his group and Rick and Michonne kept an eye on Carl. They gave him a cloth he used to dab at the fresh bite on his face. There was a horizontal crescent just above his jaw on the same side he was missing his eye. The marks Murphy's bottom teeth had made were under his jaw and out of sight but there were still fresh red drops coming from the wound dripping down Carl's neck as he dabbed away at the blood. Warren pulled Murphy aside and the two started to whisper back and forth, it looked like she was scolding him. The only words they picked up on were, control and the name Cassandra. Then Rick returned his attention to Carl still not sure if this whole 'Murphy bite' thing was enough to save his son.

"I don't. . . how. . . I –"

"I was bringing someone back." Carl explained, "His name's Siddiq. We saw him at that gas station before. . . it wasn't the Saviors. It just happened. I got bit."

"And?" Michonne asked, "How does that feel?" she asked pointing to her own jaw.

"I'm not sure." Carl admitted, "It hurts and the one on my side hurts too, but that one feels deeper, this one's fresh. And. . . I don't know. I think it's too soon to tell."

Then one of Warren's group, an older man with a beard named Doc who reminded the group of Hershel, if Hershel had been a weed smoking hippie, came over and crouched by them.

"I know this seems trippy." He began, "But. . . this weird shit works. I've seen it. Your boy's going to be okay."

"Do you have anything for the pain?" Rick asked knowing Carl was hurting.

"Dad." Carl said, "No, save it for someone else who really needs it. Really it's not that bad."

There was a beat of silence before Doc spoke up again, "Your boy's brave. You should be proud."

Then he stood up and went back to his group and sat by 10K and the two began to talk quietly. Rick looked around and saw a cot that had been set up nearby in the tunnel they were bunkered in.

"Here." he said his voice still shaking, "We can get you on this, it might make you more comfortable."

Together Rick and Michonne moved Carl but it wasn't enough, 10K saw them struggling and came over to help and the three of them were able to move Carl onto the cot easier without jostling him too much.

"Is that better?' Michonne asked when they'd moved him and he nodded.

"I um." Siddiq stuttered coming over, "I got these. They're over the counter, non-steroidal anti-inflammatories. They'll um, they'll help a little with the fever. It did for my mom and dad. Please take them." he offered the medicine. He looked to Carl who looked ready to refuse again then Siddiq continued, "I owe you a lot more than a few pills."

"You're a doctor?" Rick asked.

"I was a resident before. . . yeah."

Then Rick turned to Carl, "Did you know he was a doctor? Is that why you brought him back?"

"He wasn't gonna make it alone." Carl said, "He needed us. That's why."

XXXXXX

It was a bit longer after that when the explosions started to let up and eventually stopped as they heard car engines and knew the Saviors were leaving. Daryl went to check and make sure they weren't being tricked into thinking it was safe to come out and Rick took Carl's hand.

"Is it any better?" he asked and Carl looked at him.

"I can't tell, I just feel kinda weird now." Carl said weakly.

"Good weird or bad weird?"

"Weird, weird." He replied and they both let out a small chuckle. Then Michonne went over to Warren.

"This is impossible." She said and the Lieutenant turned to her, "What you're doing, it can't be real."

"It can be." Warren assured her, "A lot of good people have died already getting Murphy this far and I'll be damned if they died in vain." Then she rested her hand on Michonne's shoulder, "Listen, this Murphy shit is real. It's not any more unlikely then the dead coming back to life to eat us. Give it time, that bite will help Carl."

"Hey." Rosita said approaching them. "So we think the safest place now is Hilltop. And now that the Saviors are gone we're going to start getting everyone moving."

"Carl can't." Michonne said, "He won't make a trip like that. And Rick won't leave him."

"We can go." Warren said. "You two stay with Carl while he rests and gets better. I'll make sure everyone gets to safety."

Michonne paused looking at the woman, "Why do you care about our people so much? You have your mission, this is just slowing you down. Why help us? Why risk your lives?"

"Because. . . "Warren said resting her hands on her hips were her machete was tucked into her belt, "Without survivors, good survivors who want to make places like this work, getting to California would be meaningless if there was no one left to save. No one left to make the cure for."

XXXXXX

"Let me say goodbye." Carl asked when they were getting ready to leave for Hilltop. Daryl was going to look after Judith until whatever happened to Carl happened. No one was sure if he was going to make it, no one except the people in Warren's group but the looks they were giving him were different and he couldn't help but think that they were all remembering that girl Murphy said he bit. Carl noticed 10K kept looking over his shoulder at him but his stares made him feel like maybe death would have been the better option, if he made it through this he'd have to ask 10K about what happened to that girl after she got bit, he got the impression that they weren't telling the full story and he knew 10K would be the only one he'd get to tell him the truth.

Daryl brought Judith over and Carl smiled at her though it was clear the little girl had no idea what was going on. He sat up on the cot as she leaned forward on the bed looking up at him.

"You be good okay?" he said to his sister before taking his hat, "This was Dad's before it was mine. Now it's yours. Just having it, it just, felt like it always kept Dad with me. It made me feel as strong as him. It helped me. Maybe it'll help you too, and with everything going on. . . you need that help more than I do." He sighed, "Before Mom died, she told me I was gonna beat this world. . ." he looked down at his stomach where he knew his first bite was then he rubbed his face over the new bite, "We'll see I guess. But I know you will. You will."

Then Judith took his hat and Daryl picked her up as he got ready to leave.

"These people." He said looking at Carl, "You saved them all. That's all you man. We'll see you at Hilltop." He said and Carl smiled at him.

XXXXXXX

Eventually the lanterns in the tunnels started to die out one by one so Rick and Michonne helped Carl stand and got him out of the tunnel. Back outside Alexandria was still burning around them but as they moved Carl seemed to walk easier, his feet went from dragging along the ground to actually holding some of his weight though he still needed Rick and Michonne on each side holding his arms supporting him. Eventually they made it to the church which was one of the few buildings that wasn't on fire probably because it was made of stone, though some of the windows had been blown out.

"Thanks." Carl said when they set him down at the step leading to the altar. He sat hunched over resting his elbows on his knees as he took deep breaths, "For getting me here."

"How are you feeling?" his dad asked.

"Stronger." Carl said sounding in just as much shock as they were. His skin wasn't as clammy, the dark bags under his eyes had gotten lighter and his face had more color to it. "Not fully there yet but. . . I feel. . . like I'm getting better, like what the first bite was doing to weaken me the second bite stopped."

"But?" Michonne asked sensing there was more.

"I'm not sure. There's something else but I . . . I can't tell what it is yet." Then his face scrunched up like he was confused and he sat up straighter and pulled up his shirt again and pulled away the gauze. They all looked at the bite and froze. They'd all seen a lot, they'd seen what happened to people who got bit, they saw the fever, they saw how people died slowly but they'd never seen a walker bite like this.

"It. . . scabbed?" Carl asked looking at his first bite. The one the walker had given him.

"It's healing." Rick said looking at the wound in awe.

"She was right." Michonne whispered, "This Murphy shit is real."

While they smiled and let out breaths of relief Carl kept looking at the bite on his stomach and thinking about what he'd been told about 'side effects' because now there was a new voice in his head that wasn't his. . . it was Murphy's and Carl couldn't help but wonder what the price would be for this second chance to live. What the consequences of his choice would be.

**Not really an ending, I've had this on my mind a lot about if the two shows crossed over and this was how Carl lived. How would it affect the rest of TWD if Carl was there and not really human anymore but a blend, I would like to continue it but haven't had the time, just thought I'd post this part of that story to see if people enjoyed it, maybe one day I'll get around to writing it but I've got a lot of other stories on my plate right now. **

**Let me know what you thought of adding the Z Nation crew into TWD and if you liked or hated my version of saving Carl. **


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Pain: A Walking Dead fanfiction - Carl Grimes x OC

**So I had an idea for a TWD story but it kinda keeps getting pushed to the backburner but I had the first chapter done and sitting as a word doc on my computer for so long I figured this would be a good way to share it without dedicating myself to writing an entire story. Let me know your thoughts and if any of you would be interested in this as a full story!**

4x09

Her lungs felt like they were on fire, her legs too. She wondered how far she could push her body before it gave out on her. It felt like she'd run across the state even though she knew that was impossible. But what did she know about impossible? The dead getting back up and walking was supposed to be impossible but that ended up happening too. She was just a stupid kid, like they all said she was and she wouldn't last. Not out here not on her own, one corpse could come along and that would be it, she'd be done for. She'd let others protect her and now she had no idea how to protect herself.

She heard growling in one direction and she turned the other way making sure she didn't face the horror she was running from. She'd rather die than go back to that, but even more than that she wanted to _live_ and be away from that. But was that possible or was that just another hopeless dream? Like her parents coming back and taking her home, like going to school or spending the summer at camp?

She fell. . . a lot, it became more and more frequent as she ran out of energy. She wondered if that's how they'd catch her, exhausted in the dirt too weak to even lift a finger – pathetic. People like her didn't deserve to be out here, not anymore. The people who could fight and shoot were the strong ones and they were the ones who deserved to live not her. But then why was she here? Was it some cruel joke of fate, a way to mock those who'd fought for everything to have them see this puny little girl and be reminded that someone else had had it better? That she'd been safe behind walls while they'd been out there losing people?

She didn't know what made her do it but she pushed herself up from the ground and kept going. Something inside her refusing to quit.

Carl POV

"Hey asshole! Hey shit face! Hey ass-"

"Watch your mouth!" his dad shouted back and he couldn't believe that his _language_ was what he was worried about after what had happened.

"Are you kidding me?" he asked in disbelief, "If there was one of them down there they would have come out." There was a long silence where his dad just stared at him and he stared back. Then he went to check the second floor for walkers or any supplies. He held his gun in front of him ready to pull the trigger at a moment's notice. A lot of the rooms had nothing but eventually he found a kid's room with a large screen TV and an Xbox. He took a look at the games for a second before reminding himself that he'd never play a videogame ever again. He ripped the cord from behind the TV and headed out to check the other rooms.

XXXXXX

He ended up using the cable to tie the front door shut while his dad tried to move the couch. It was stupid, he thought, in the condition his dad was in besides he'd just taken care of the door.

"I tied the door shut." He said as the couch grinded against the floor with every push his dad gave it.

"We don't need to take any chances." He said between panting and pushing.

"You don't think it'll hold?" Carl asked knowing his dad still saw him as a kid who couldn't take care of himself.

"Carl –"

"It's a strong knot. Clove hitch. _Shane_ taught me. Remember him?"

"Yeah I remember him. I remember him every day. There something else you wanna say to me?" his dad asked and he could tell he was getting under his skin. But the way his dad was looking at him, half beaten and covered in blood made him look threatening enough that Carl kept his mouth shut. Instead of answering he moved to the other side of the couch and helped push it against the door. It hit the wood with a loud slam and an even louder bang when they turned it back onto its proper side. Then the wheezing started, he'd never heard his dad make a sound like that and for a moment he wondered if he'd be okay.

"This'll have to do for the night." He said taking off the belt that held his gun. Carl didn't say anything in reply only gathered some cushions and blankets to make is own bed on the floor. He looked over and saw his dad holding one of the bags of chips they'd gotten from scavenging earlier that day.

"You gonna have some?" Carl asked.

"You should eat."

"We should save it." He snapped back. He continued fixing his bed, he was just moving another blanket when his dad came over and held out the chips again. "I don't want any."

"Eat it. Now." He said throwing the bag down in front of him before heading to the bathroom.

XXXXXX

The next morning Carl woke up to sunlight streaming in through the windows and he rubbed his eyes in an effort to wake himself up faster. He sat up on his elbows and looked over to where his dad was on the couch. He got up and grabbed his holster, gun and a half eaten bag of dry cereal they'd found. He took one more look at his dad before he headed into the kitchen. He poured a bowl of cereal for himself, then thought for a moment before pouring one for his dad. He left it by the couch as he headed upstairs to find something to do.

He ended up finding a book that was half decent and read while he ate. When he got bored of the book he took his empty bowl and headed back downstairs.

"Dad?" he called when he reached the bottom and realized the bowl of cereal hadn't been touched. It was getting later in the day and he should have been up by now – at least to eat. But it didn't look like he'd moved an inch. "Dad?" he asked again kicking the foot that was dangling off the couch. "Dad wake up." He gave him a shake starting to get worried, "Wake up, come on. Dad wake up! Wake up!"

Then the door started to rattle and he heard the unmistakable sound of walkers. He backed away from the door not knowing how many were there. He grabbed his gun and his hat and headed for the side door that led out of the kitchen. He looked around cautiously before heading into the yard and walking around to the front, his gun held out in front of him ready to fire. He lowered his gun when he peeked through the shrubs and saw only, mentally scolding himself for being such a coward. He moved to the front walkway and took another look around making sure he wouldn't attract more walkers.

"Hey you." He called and the two rotting walkers turned to him, "Fresh meat, right here. Come and get it."

He started walking backwards while the walkers stumbled toward him with their hands reaching out wanting to get his flesh. Carl made sure to keep looking behind him every few steps to make sure he wasn't walking into anything and that nothing was going to sneak up on him.

"Let's take a walk. Keep up. That's it. Keep coming. Very good." He walked them down the street a good few houses from the one he was staying at with his dad. "Right here look at me."

Then he cut through a yard between two houses wanting to lead them further away to the next block then he heard growling behind him and quickly turned as a third walker came from around a shed in the backyard. In just a second he was surrounded and the situation was quickly getting out of his control. He grabbed the walker that had come from behind him since it was the one that was closest. He struggled with it as it spun him around and pushed him back. When the other two caught up and added to the mix they overpowered him and he fell back into the dirt. Luckily he had his gun in his hand already as he crawled backwards and kicked the first one to get closer. The next one to stumble over he shot in the head and it landed on top of him making it impossible for him to keep crawling away. The third one went down the same way, one shot to the head but added to the pile of bodies on top of him. Carl pushed against them as he tried to get free as he saw the walker that he'd kicked get up and approach him, its hungry eyes fixed on him trapped under the other walkers. When it leaned over the pile he shot once and missed then twice and missed again, hitting the corpse but not getting its brain. The third shot was the one that stopped it as it closed its eyes and fell on top of him too.

Carl took a deep breath then when his heart had calmed down a bit he was able to pull himself from under the tangled bodies and stand up. Immediately he got sick but wiped his mouth on his sleeve and picked up his hat placing it back on his head. He looked down at the walkers and felt a sense of pride in his chest.

"I win." He said putting his gun away and moving on.

He checked the rest of the block making sure he still had enough ammo to clear the street if there were any more walkers to kill and figured he may as well check some of the houses for supplies too.

He heard a rustling in the trees behind one of the houses and readied his gun going after the sound. There was some light splashing so he assumed there must be a small brook or a creek behind the house. He crept closer ready to shoot at anything that moved then he heard whimpering and wondered if it could be a human, that didn't mean they weren't dangerous, he thought remembering the Governor, he'd been human too but just as dangerous as any walker. Then he saw something move on the ground, it looked like a walker with its skin caked with mud and dirt; so he cocked his gun and put his finger on the trigger. Then the figure looked up having heard his gun and was startled by the sound. Definitely not a walker, he could tell by her eyes, they were wide and afraid and blue not milky white or yellow from where they peeked out from behind her dirty hair that was hanging in her face. The girl looked around his age and it seemed like she'd slipped and fallen into the creek explaining the mud and why she was one the ground. Seeing the gun aimed at her she raised her hands in the air as she sat back on her knees. Carl didn't see a weapon on her but that wasn't enough to make him put his gun down.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" he asked but she just kept looking at him with wide eyes. He stepped closer and raised his gun more showing her he wasn't afraid to fire. "Who else is out here with you?"

She slowly shook her head, "No one." She replied in a small frightened voice.

He scoffed, she was too timid, she couldn't be out here alone, "Don't lie to me."

"I'm not lying." She said eyeing his gun. "I'm alone."

"You don't have a group?" he asked his voice still harsh as hid mind thought this could be a trap, she could be bait for people looking to jump him for supplies.

"Not anymore." She said and he remembered the world they were living in. Given the state she was in it was possible wherever she'd come from, whatever camp she'd had could have been swarmed by walkers and she was alone out here now, like he and his dad were. He lowered his gun a bit and looked around making sure no one was about to jump out and attack him before he turned back to the girl.

"Get up." He said lowering his gun but keeping his finger on the trigger. She looked confused as she started to lower her arms but didn't move to get up. "Would you rather I shoot you?"

She shook her head and got up out of the mud. He looked around before grabbing her by the elbow roughly and leading her into the closest house. He held his gun up in case of walkers but thankfully there weren't any. Then he led her to a door between the kitchen and the living room and pulled out more cable from his pocket. He grabbed her wrists and tied them to the door knob in the same strong knot that Shane had taught him. Then he left her to go clear the second floor. He could hear the knob rattling as she tugged on her hands before she called after him.

"Hey! You can't leave me alone tied up here." She said as he turned to her.

"Sure I can. I don't trust you."

"What am I supposed to do if one of the dead show up?"

He turned and walked toward the stairs again, "Yell and hope I get here in time."

XXXXXX

The upstairs ended up being more useful than he'd thought it could be. He found an old black backpack by a desk in a teenager's room and emptied all the school supplies out of it and used it to collect what he found. The kid who'd lived in this room had kept a stash of small bags of chips and candy bars that Carl found and took the whole thing. The bathroom had some medicine's he grabbed and some bandages that were useful. He some clean clothes and remembered the girl downstairs who was covered in mud and dirt and grabbed some that looked like they'd fit her.

When he went back downstairs he found her leaning against the door looking uncomfortable given the angle her arms were at since her hands were still restrained. He passed right by her and went into the kitchen looking for more food. He found a few cans for stuff but not too much before he went back into the living room and untied the girl. When she was loose she rubbed her wrists before he took out the clothes he'd gotten and threw them at her. She barely caught them before he took out his gun and pointed to a door that led to the bathroom.

"Go change." He said and he saw her eyes follow the movement of his gun, "Then we can eat."

She didn't question him and took the clothes and went to change. He heard the door lock behind her as he made his way to the front window and looked down the street at the house his dad was in. Carl wondered if he'd woken up yet, probably not, or else he be looking up and down the street calling for him. Since odds were he was still unconscious Carl would have to keep an eye on him. He looked back at the shut door to the bathroom, but he didn't want to bring that girl there either. In case she was part of a trap or did have a group looking for her he didn't want to bring his father more trouble given how beat up he already was. Before he could figure out what to do the door opened and the girl stepped out, she looked better now that she was a bit cleaner, she had fresh jeans on and a loose dark green tee shirt on, she'd pulled her hair back into a braid to keep it out of her face and Carl was still shocked she'd been out there without some kind of weapon, even a broken branch or something she could have used to defend herself against a walker. He moved over to the backpack and pulled out a small bag of chips and tossed them too her, she caught them and quickly opened the bag and started scarfing them down. It made him wonder how long she'd been out there and what had happened to her. He decided to give her one more bag and a water bottle which she accepted silently and devoured just as quickly. Then he took out the cord again.

"Really?" she asked and he nodded.

"I still don't trust you." He said and she seemed understanding though she still rolled her eyes as she walked back over to the door and he tied her to the handle again. This time he tied her hands together and gave her some slack before tying the other end of the cord to the knob, this way she could sit down and be more comfortable than before. He also tossed her a pillow from the couch before he headed for the window and sat on the sill. It had gotten dark while he'd been clearing the house and the sun had already set.

"Don't worry about any walkers." He said, "I'll take watch."

"All night?" she asked getting comfortable on the floor and he just nodded, he wanted to wait until she was fast asleep before he went back over to check on his dad.

XXXXXXX

It was probably past midnight when Carl left the house. He knew walkers seemed more active at night so he was cautious as he crossed the street and made it back to the house where his dad was. He was still passed out on the couch as Carl took off his flannel and draped it on the arm of the furniture.

"I killed three walkers." He said though he wasn't sure his dad could hear him. "They were at the door. They were gonna get in but I lured them away. I killed them. _I_ _saved you_. I saved you. I didn't forget while you had us playing farmer. I still know how to survive. . . lucky for us."

Like before his dad didn't move he just kept sleeping. Carl knew he wasn't dead or he would have turned and tried to attack him. He was just weak. "I don't need you anymore. I don't need you to protect me anymore, I can take care of myself. You probably couldn't protect me anyways. You couldn't protect Judith, you couldn't protect. . ." he stopped and sighed, "Hershel, or Glenn, or Maggie, Michonne, Daryl _or mom_. You just wanted to plant vegetables. You just wanted to hide. He knew where we were and you didn't care! You just hid behind those fences and waited for - - - They're all gone now. Because of you! They counted on you! You were their leader!" he shook his head, "But now, you're nothing."

He stood there quietly for a minute before remembering the girl he'd left tied up in the other house. He didn't know if she had people who were looking for her, people who might be like the Governor and come take what they had. He didn't know if she was bait but if she was he wasn't going to fall for it. But if she wasn't he couldn't just leave her tied up there with no way to defend herself if a walker came along. He looked back at his dad one more time.

"I'd be fine if you died." He muttered before he left.

XXXXXXX

"Get up." He said kicking the girl in the leg when morning had come. She stirred before quickly sitting up only to find her hands weren't tied anymore. She looked up at him with wide worried eyes.

"Get up." He repeated, "If you're going to eat my food and drink my water you're going to help me find more, now come on."

She got up slowly looking unsure like maybe she shouldn't trust him, he scoffed and shook his head as they left the house taking the backpack and an empty canvas bag with him for the supplies he was hoping to find. They walked in silence neither one talking before he found a house that looked just as good as any other on the block. He grabbed a lantern that was staked into the ground and looked at the sharp bottom, it should be enough to help him pry the door open he thought as he moved to the front door and jammed it into the lock. It took some fumbling but he didn't take too long to break it, then he passed the girl the lantern to use as a weapon while he took out his gun and opened the door.

They made their way into the kitchen to look for food, the whole place was a mess; dishes were covering every surface along with brown paper bags, boxes and other trash, either this place had been looted before or the people had just been moving in when the apocalypse struck. The girl started looking through cabinets with him and they found some cans of food and boxes of stale cereal. Then Carl looked up and saw a large can on the top of the cupboard with a pudding label. He dragged a chair over and could feel the girl's eyes on him as he retrieved it. A smile spread on his face when he read the word 'chocolate' on the label.

After clearing the first floor they went to check the second, there were more boxes littering the stairs which they ignored since the words written in sharpie on the sides told them enough about what was in them like 'books' 'clothes' and so on. Carl made sure to be quiet knowing he couldn't assume the second floor was clear and he was happy the girl wasn't chatty or loud so he didn't have to worry about her drawing attention. He checked one room while she checked the other, when he found nothing he left and closed the door behind him while the girl was still looking around the room she'd gone in. The next room Carl barely got the door open to before a walker smacked against it and started pushing from the other side. It got one arm out and snarled as it tried to get him and he shoved all his weight against the door trying to keep it inside. The girl had heard him struggling and rushed over pushing on the door with him. It wasn't enough though as the walker shoved the door open and Carl was flung back while the girl was trapped behind the open door. Carl fell back and fired his gun but both shots missed as they went into the ceiling. Like last time his third shot was his best and he got the walker in the head but not the brain. His ear flew off as he stumbled back and when Carl pulled the trigger again his gun clicked empty. The walker crawled along the floor as it tried to get to him again and the girl was still behind the door though Carl would have guessed she wasn't trapped anymore and was just cowering. The walker got ahold on his foot and Carl kicked it with his free leg until it let go and he was able to get up.

He ran into the room behind him but couldn't shut the door because of a pile of books that were in the way. He turned and saw a window and headed for it but it must have had some child safety lock on it that kept it from opening enough for him to get out. He heard growling and turned as the walker got up and headed for him again. He grabbed a lamp off a nearby desk and swung it at the walker's head, the thing went down but took him with it and got another hold on his foot as Carl tried to crawl away.

OC POV

_Come on!_ She scolded herself. That boy needs your help. _That boy tied you to a door_, another side of her argued, _but he also gave you food and water_. She heard more crashing from where she was now hiding behind the door. _If he dies can you really live with that?_ She tightened her grip on the lantern in her hand and moved and saw the boy trying to crawl out of the room across from where she stood as the corpse held on tight to his foot. She threw down the lantern and ran to him grabbing his hand with both of hers as she tugged trying to help him get free. His shoe came off in the corpse's hands and the boy was able to get up. Together they kicked the books out of the way and were able to get the door shut.

They pressed their backs to the wood and caught their breath.

"You could have just stabbed it in the head you know." The boy said though she was hoping for a thank you.

"I – I, uh." She said between catching her breath, "I've never killed one before."

He turned to her shocked, "You've never killed a walker?"

She shook her head still panting, "There – there were always other people in my group that did that."

He paused and looked at her suspiciously, "And where are they now?"

She swallowed nervously, "Gone."

He was quiet for a minute as the scratching walker grew quiet now that it had lost its meal. The boy grabbed a piece of chalk from the floor and started writing on the door, when he was done he turned back to her, "Let's get our stuff and move on to the next house."

As he left she read what he'd written on the door, 'Walker inside, got my shoe, didn't get me.' And she smiled before grabbing the lantern stake and following him down the stairs. They packed up their stuff and headed out to the next house.

"Thanks." He muttered as they walked down the street, "For saving my life back there."

"Thanks for saving mine." She replied meaning the previous day. She didn't think she would have lasted longer on her own. It was the first time she'd been without anyone and she never really learned how to take care of herself so she was grateful she had this guy, even if he did tie her up at night because he didn't trust her.

"Guess we're even now." He said.

"No." she said and he turned to her, "I still owe you. I'll always owe you."

He couldn't know all he'd done to help her. He didn't know what she'd been running from, he didn't know just how much he'd saved her.

She just hoped what she'd been running from hadn't been running after her.

"I'm Carl by the way." He said.

"Faye." She replied and saw him give her a small smile.


	4. Chapter 4

Pain: Part 2

4x09

Carl and Faye had found a quiet place to eat the can of pudding after scavenging through a couple more houses. That night he didn't tie her up, but he didn't stay with her either. Instead, he waited for her to fall asleep before he went back to check on his dad at the other house but he was still unconscious. Exhausted, Carl sat on the floor by his dad's feet and leaned back on the couch intending to just get some rest but instead found himself falling asleep in minutes.

He woke up and it was still dark out, he hoped Faye hadn't woken up and found out he left. He slowly got up and rubbed his eyes knowing he'd have to head back. Before he could grab his hat and other things he heard his dad's breathing turn to wheezing and looked over and saw his arm flinch. Carl's eyes widened as he backed away from the couch grabbing his gun. He always knew it would be a possibility that his dad would die in his sleep but now he was facing that reality. He tried to keep calm as he waited wanting to be sure his dad had turned before he shot him. In the dark it was hard to tell, Carl could only judge by his dad's breathing but it sounded more like growling and snarling as he heard his dad start to shift his weight on the couch. Carl lifted his gun and cocked it getting ready but now his emotions were starting to affect him too. He didn't want to lose his dad, but he hadn't wanted to lose his mom either but that didn't stop it from happening. There was a crash as his dad fell off the couch and onto the floor, he wheezed as he lifted himself onto his elbows and reached one hand out to him. When he grabbed his foot Carl dropped the gun in his lap, he couldn't do it.

"I can't. I was wrong." He admitted.

"Carl." His dad whispered and he looked at him again his heart beating faster but not in fear anymore, it was relief, his dad wasn't dead. "Don't go outside. Stay safe."

Then his dad rolled on the floor and fell back into unconsciousness. Carl moved to cradle his head and whispered, "I'm scared. I'm scared."

He stayed like that for another minute before he remembered Faye in the other house asleep and all alone, completely vulnerable. If anything happened to her it would be on him, he'd told her he'd be on watch. He sniffled one more time before wiping his face and getting up.

"I'll be back." He told his dad even though he was pretty sure he didn't hear him. Then he made his way to the house where he'd left Faye, it was time he was honest with her.

She'd jumped a few inches into the air when he woke her up, probably expecting walkers and looked relieved when she saw him.

"What is it?" she asked knowing something had to be up or else he wouldn't have woken her.

"We're moving to a different place." He said collecting their stuff, "Come on."

"But –"

"Faye." He cut her off, "I haven't been telling you the truth." She looked a little worried, "Just come on, it'll explain itself."

She looked down before she got up and started collecting her stuff too. She avoided eye contact with him so he wouldn't see the guilt in her eyes, after all, she hadn't told him the truth either.

XXXXXXX

"Who is that?" she asked when they got to the house and found his dad still asleep on the floor.

"My dad." He told her setting their stuff down quietly, "He's hurt bad, hasn't been conscious for a few days."

"Will he get better?" Faye asked with real concern in her voice.

"I don't know." he admitted, "But I'm not leaving him until I'm sure."

She nodded and made herself comfortable on a reclining chair not far from them. He hoped his dad would be better enough to travel soon, though he was worried about what he'd say about Carl bringing this new girl with them, giving them another mouth to feed when they were already struggling.

Carl stayed up the next few hours while Faye went back to sleep. He was awake when the sun rose and awake when his dad finally woke up. Carl helped him off the floor and they both sat lying back against the couch. The first thing his dad noticed was the girl curled up on a chair asleep across from them.

"Carl –" he began but Carl cut him off.

"That's Faye." He began and his dad turned a harsh stare on him, the kind he used to use when Carl would sneak cookies before dinner. "I found her hungry and alone in a creek covered in mud, she's alone I made sure of it. She needed help."

His dad turned to look at her sleeping peacefully and Carl couldn't tell if he'd let her stay or if he'd send her away when she woke up. "Dad she's never killed a walker before yesterday." He said and his dad turned to him surprised, "Whoever she was with took care of that for her, on her own she won't make it."

His dad looked to the girl again before letting out a sigh, "She can stay, but she has to pull her own weight."

"She already has." Carl replied getting up and getting the bag of food they'd gotten the previous day, "And she helped me kill a walker while we were getting this."

His dad nodded his head still looking deep in thought as Carl sat next to him again. "You shouldn't have risked it, going out there like that. It's dangerous."

"I was careful, and. . . she had my back."

"It's good that you found more food."

"I found even more but. . . we ate it." He admitted.

"What was it?"

He chuckled, "112 ounces of pudding." he replied and got a chuckle out of his dad too.

"I know, we'll never get things back to the way they used to be."

"What?"

"I only clung to that for you, for Judith, now she's. . . gone. And you. . . you're a man Carl, you're a man. I'm sorry."

"You don't need to be." He replied before he took out some food and they started having breakfast. Not long into their stale cereal and water there was a knock on the door. They both went on alert and Faye shifted in her sleep waking up. Carl readied his gun as she opened her eyes and stood up but he held out a hand telling her to stop. She had no weapon and the best way she could help was to stay quiet. His dad went and checked the peep hole then turned and sat on the couch laughing.

"What?"

"It's for you." He replied.

4x11

Carl and Faye were sitting at the table eating more dry cereal though Faye looked grateful to just have something to put in her stomach as she scarfed her food. Then Michonne came into the dining room in a white shirt that was way to big on her which made Carl chuckle.

"Do you have something to say about my extremely comfortable and attractive shirt?" she asked rolling up the sleeves.

"No, no, no it uh it looks great." He replied as she tied the bottom behind her to make it fit snugger.

"Wish we had some soy milk." She said pouring some cereal into a bowl.

"Seriously?"

"Yes, seriously. Have you ever tried it?" Michonne asked as Faye continued to eat her eyes going between the two watching their conversation.

"My best friend in third grade he was allergic to dairy and every day he would being this soy stuff to lunch, I tried it. . ."

"And?"

"I threw up!"

They both laughed, "Oh yeah right." Michonne chuckled.

"Alright, alright, I almost threw up, but I was like bleh bleh." He said imitating his disgust. Michonne looked to Faye who was smiling and the look in Michonne's eyes encouraged her to join in the laughter.

"It was so gross I mean literally I would rather have powdered milk then to have to drink that stuff again. I'd rather have Judith's formul –" he stopped mid sentence and all the laughter stopped.

"I'm gonna go finish my book." He said getting up and leaving the table. After his footsteps had faded Faye turned to Michonne.

"Michonne." She began timidly, "Who's Judith?"

Michonne gave a deep sigh, "Judith is – was Carl's baby sister."

"Oh." Faye replied quietly looking into her cereal bowl and slowly moving her spoon around in it playing with it more then eating it. She wished she could do something to make Carl feel better but she didn't know him well enough to know what to do, even Michonne looked sad like she was in the same boat. After a minute she got up and went into the kitchen where Carl's dad Rick was. Faye nibbled on the rest of her cereal knowing how rare food was and not wanting to waste it no matter how much her stomach protested. When she was done she got up to put her bowl away but ended up eavesdropping on Michonne and Rick's conversation as she waited hidden by the doorframe.

"So what's the plan?" Michonne asked, "This place, is it home? Or just a stop along the way?"

"Well let's, let's just stay here while we figure it out."

There was a long silence and Faye began to worry. Should she try and say something to convince them to keep moving? What if they stayed here and what she'd been running from caught up with them? What if they moved and ran right into it? All she wanted was her problems to go away, once she'd gotten out she thought they'd be gone but the fear of them still haunted her. Would she ever feel safe? In this world, probably not.

"Well we'll need more supplies so I'll go with Carl and get some." Michonne said.

"I'll come too." Rick offered.

"You were unconscious yesterday." Michonne pointed out.

"I'm awake today."

"We need you strong. Just rest, just one more day." Michonne said softly, "Faye can stay here with you in case you need any help."

"No, take her with you. Carl told me she's never killed a walker up til yesterday. She could use the practice."

"Okay." Michonne replied, "I'll let them know."

Faye quietly and quickly made it back to the dining room so she wouldn't get caught listening in. Part of her was nervous but another part was excited, she wanted to learn how to defend herself after everything she'd been through. Michonne walked in seconds later and leaned in the archway between the rooms.

"Hey, you mind getting Carl and filling him in?" she asked.

"Fill him in on what?"

"Everything you heard from standing outside the door." Michonne said catching her red handed. Faye bit her lip nervously before she answered.

"I didn't mean to."

"I know." Michonne said in that kind motherly tone, "And I can't blame you. Go get Carl, we need to make the most of the daylight we have."

Faye nodded and headed upstairs, when she found the bedroom Carl was in he had his face in a book and didn't look up when she walked in.

"Carl?" she asked and he gave a light hum of acknowledgement. "Michonne said to get you for a supply run."

He put down the book and grabbed his hat making his way past her and out the door.

"I'm sorry about Judith." She blurted out not knowing what else to say. Carl froze and she briefly scolded herself for saying anything at all, then he sighed and turned to her.

"Thanks. I'm sorry about whoever you lost too. We've all been there. All felt that pain, you know?"

"Some of us have felt more then others." She replied looking at the ground and playing with her hands as she thought about the scratches that were still healing on her back and the bruises that still covered her hips.

XXXXXXX

When they were ready they left with Michonne and headed the next block over, Carl explained that he and Faye had already cleared the other good looking houses on that block so they cut through a yard and headed into another neighborhood.

Carl was quiet the first few houses they checked and Michonne and Faye had shared more then a few worried glances.

"Find anything good?" Michonne asked on their way to the next house, "Candy bars? Comic books? Crazy cheese?"

"Huh?"

"Bam, crazy cheese." She said pulling out the can, "Found it still sealed and everything. I'll be nice and let you have the first pull."

"No thanks." He turned it down looking at his feet.

"You sure?"

"I'm fine."

"You don't seem fine." Michonne said as they stopped.

"I'm just tired. Okay?" he said moving on and they followed him to the door of the next place. Michonne tried to make him laugh by filling her mouth with the cheese but it didn't work and Faye found it kinda gross.

"I'm sorry." Michonne said as they walked up the front porch of the house, "I'm not good at making boys your age laugh." She walked to the door and knocked hard then turned to Faye.

"Make a loud noise while you still have a door between you and the possible danger." She coached her, "Then you know what you're up against."

Faye nodded absorbed with every word.

"I was laughing." Carl said and they both turned to him, "Inside."

"Toddlers find me funny. Two, three year olds." Michonne said tapping on the door again.

"What do you mean toddlers?" Carl asked.

"I had a three year old son, and he happened to find me extremely funny." She said before opening the door and they carefully entered the house. It was a nice place Faye thought as Carl shut the door behind them and she started looking through drawers for useful things.

"We need food, batteries, water in that order." Michonne told them and Faye kept that in mind as she looked for things.

"Why did you never tell me that you had a kid?" Carl asked, "What was his name? Did you have any others? We're you married?"

Michonne stopped her looking and turned to him, "I'll answer one question at a time, one room at a time, and only after we've cleared it." She said making it a game while at the same time getting their work done.

XXXXXXX

When they filled the bags they'd brought with them Michonne led them back to the house, before they could get there though they heard gunshots and Rick ran over to them in the street, he didn't explain things he just whispered "Go! Go!" before he led the way as they turned back and headed down the road running as fast as Rick could move. They spent the rest of the day moving away from that house and whatever had made Rick abandon it. He whispered to Michonne as they walked off the road and onto some train tracks, the whole time they left Faye and Carl in the dark as they followed a few feet behind.

"Do they always leave you out of the loop like this?" she asked.

"Yep." He answered popping the P. "Get used to it, they probably won't tell us anything important until we're at least thirty."

She chuckled and he smiled at the fact that he made her laugh. Then Rick walked off the tracks to a sign "Sanctuary for all. Community for all. Those who arrive survive." Under it was a map and a spot marked Terminus. Rick and Michonne shared a look.

"What do you think?" she asked.

"Let's go." He said before leading them back down the tracks.

XXXXXXX

4x16

A few days later they were still following the train tracks passing more signs for this Terminus every few hours. They'd stopped to make camp the previous night and now were having lunch cooking up a can of beans, their last one, as they all sat around the campfire they'd made.

"How hungry are you?" Rick asked, "Scale from one to ten."

"Fifteen." Carl answered.

"Twenty eight." Michonne replied.

"Three." Faye said still doing pretty good from their last meal, and the dry cereal the day before that then she noticed they had all turned to her. She looked up at them all and shrugged, "I'm used to living off really small rations."

"Didn't your old group ever feed you?" Michonne asked.

"They did. We just. . . didn't have much." She said lying a little as they ate. Her old group had had plenty, it was just her who didn't have much. It didn't take long for them to finish their meal, one can of beans between four people didn't last long.

"Well, it's been a while." Rick said standing up, "I'm gonna go check the snares." He said referring to the traps he'd set the day before.

"Can I go with you?" Carl asked hopefully.

"How else you gonna learn?" Rick replied and Carl smiled as they got up and put out the fire kicking sand and dirt into it to make it go out. Michonne and Faye followed behind the father and son and Faye smiled at the fact that there were still families out there, even small ones like Rick and Carl.

"We'll stay another day or two." Rick said as they walked, "Get some more rest."

"Finish healing up." Michonne added.

"I'm almost there." Rick replied.

"We're close now right?" Carl asked.

"To Terminus?" Rick asked.

"Yeah."

"We are."

"When we get there are we gonna tell them?" Carl asked with his hands in his pockets.

"Tell them what?" Michonne asked.

"Everything that's happened to us." Carl said and Faye looked at the ground. She felt bad that Carl assumed she'd let him in on everything. She hadn't, she still had skeletons in her closet that she intended to keep there. "All the stuff we've done. Are we gonna tell them the truth?"

"We're gonna tell them who we are." Rick replied.

"How do you say that?" Carl asked, "I mean, who are we?"

Then they heard snarling and a walker stumbled out from between the trees in front of them. Michonne drew her sword and passed it to Faye.

"Here. That one's all yours." She said as Faye timidly took the weapon, "Better for you to use something that keeps it from getting too close. You're still learning."

She gripped the blade firmer as she stepped forward as the walker snarled at her reaching out to turn her into a meal. She circled it and it was too slow to keep up with her, when she got to the side of it she brought the sword up and piked it through the skull before pulling the blade out and letting the body hit the ground.

Michonne walked over to her and took the sword back smiling, "Nice job."

Faye smiled at her as they made their way to the traps Rick had set. There was a dead rabbit caught up in the noose he'd set up and he explained to Carl how it worked. A moment later they heard a shout.

"Help! Somebody help!" and Carl took off.

"Carl. Carl stop! Carl!" Rick shouted as they went after him.

"Carl!" Faye shouted keeping up with them. She saw Carl stop and take out his gun just before he broke the tree line. Ahead of him she could see a man surrounded by walkers who were closing in as he shouted for help. Rick tackled Carl and pulled him behind a tree.

"We can't help him." Rick said as the man got bit in the eye and the swarm took him down. Then a couple of the dead saw their group and stumbled their way.

"We've got to go." Michonne said as they turned around and headed back to the train tracks. When they made it there they quickly came upon another swarm feasting on something and Rick ran ahead to take them out. He took out two of them while Michonne took out her katana and killed another two. Then Faye and Carl turned around as the other group of walkers caught up to them from behind. Rick cleared the last of the walkers and they were able to run ahead. They got off the tracks and looked for a place to lay low, maybe restock their supply.

"There might be some houses down this way." Michonne said, "Maybe a store. There's gotta be some food around here somewhere."

"Hey look." Carl said pointing out a blue SUV on the side of the road. Faye ran to catch up with him as they checked it for anything useful. It didn't have much but it would be a safer place to stay for the night instead of out in the open like they'd been doing.

When night did fall they cooked the small rabbit and had dinner before Faye and Carl went to bed in the back of the car while Rick and Michonne stayed on watch around their campfire.

Faye woke up to a tapping on the car window, at first she thought it was a walker but then she realized the eyes were too human and when she saw the smiling face looking in on her and Carl her heart nearly stopped. She turned to get Carl thinking maybe he could shoot the man who stood outside pressing a knife to the window but he looked as scared as she felt.

"Shit and I was thinking of turning in for the night on New Year's Eve." She heard a man's voice and looked out the windshield and saw another man with a gun to Rick's head and at least four other guys out there surrounding him and Michonne. "Now who's gonna count down the ball dropper with me? Huh? Ten Mississippi, nine Mississippi, eight Mississippi –"

"Joe!" a call came and another man with a cross bow stepped out from the shadows.

"Daryl." Carl whispered and Faye turned to him, they knew that guy?

"Hold up." Daryl said looking at Rick and Michonne.

"You're stopping me on eight Daryl." Joe said annoyed.

"Just hold up."

"This is the guy who killed Lou so we got nothing to talk about." A guy with a shotgun said.

"The thing about nowadays is we got nothing but time." Joe said, "Say your piece Daryl."

"These people, you're gonna let them go. These are good people."

"Now I think Lou would disagree with you on that." Joe replied, "I'll of course have to speak for him and all cuz your friend here strangled him in a bathroom."

"You want blood, I get it." Daryl said putting down his crossbow, "Take it from me man. Come on."

"This man killed our friend, and you say he's good people, see that right there is a lie." He said and Faye's heart dropped into her stomach. Any hope they had that Daryl could talk Joe out of this was gone, "It's a lie!"

Two other men moved forward and started beating Daryl.

"Teach him fellas teach him all the way." Joe said and Faye looked to the floor of the car not able to watch them beat a man to death. When she did the door opened and the man there dragged her out and tossed her to his friend before he reached in and grabbed Carl pulling him out of the vehicle too.

"You leave him be!" Rick shouted trying to get up but Joe pushed him back down.

"Hey Joe!" the guy who had Faye shouted as he pulled her from the side of the car and along the circle as the other man held a knife to Carl's neck. "Lookie lookie!"

"Heeeyyy!" Joe said smiling, "Looks like they've got something of ours too boys." He said looking at Faye, "We've been looking everywhere for you darlin'."


End file.
